Path of Least Resistance
by Marlen
Summary: Scully takes the path of least resistance.


TITLE: Path Of Least Resistance  
AUTHOR: Marlen  
EMAIL: crmv@aol.com  
RATING: PG  
KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully Romance, Scully Angst  
CATEGORY: Vignette, Post-ep for Three Words  
SPOILERS: Three Words, a little one for FTF.  
DISTRIBUTION: Be my guest, just please drop me a line so I can visit.   
DISCLAIMER: Sadly, they are not mine. All characters of the X-Files   
belong to CC, 1013, and FOX. Otherwise, M&S would have talked a hell   
of a lot more than they did on Three Words.   
SUMMARY: Scully takes the path of least resistance.   
THANKS: To Lenore for beta.  
WEBSITE: http://marlensxfiles.homestead.com  
  
  
  
Path of Least Resistance  
By Marlen  
  
~~~  
  
As moonlight spills though the blinds emitting a soft blue glow   
across his lean figure...she sits in the shadows.  
  
Watching.  
  
Waiting.  
  
She has become fascinated by the rise and fall of his chest.   
Fascinated by this simple act of breathing.   
  
Heart pumping.  
  
Giving oxygen.  
  
Sustaining life.   
  
*His* life.   
  
The fact that he is here, lying on her couch, still amazes her days   
after his arrival from the hospital. Hell, she's had to secretly   
pinch herself several times to make sure that this is not a   
dream...he is *really* here before her.  
  
It's so surreal.  
  
His strength is returning faster than she had thought it would, he's   
gaining his weight back and the ugly scars that marred his body are   
fading away at a miraculous rate.   
  
But his memories are an entirely different matter. He doesn't tell   
her what he remembers about the experiments and torture inflicted   
upon him. Every time she tries to penetrate the shield he has built   
around him, he changes the subject and makes one of his wry jokes.  
  
But she wants him to talk about it...she doesn't think it's good to   
keep those horrifying experiences locked up inside -- waiting for the   
moment to arrive when it all comes bubbling up to the surface and   
erupts like a volcano.   
  
It hurts that he won't confide in her, but she will not push him.   
That will only serve to drive him farther away than he already is.   
  
Two days ago, she decided to give him the space he needed and leave   
him alone in his apartment. Next to burying him, it was the hardest   
thing she ever had to do.   
  
As she approached the elevator, she was reminded of a time in this   
very hallway where he professed his need for her. That she was his   
touchstone. His constant.   
  
How ironic was it that after six months of sheer agony, he was   
finally back, but she was still alone?   
  
She went home, ignoring the countless messages left on her machine by   
her mother, plopped on the couch, wrapped herself in the comfort of a   
quart of Rocky Road Ice Cream and sulked.   
  
She tried not to think of him, but it was impossible. Especially   
with her ever-growing belly to remind her of the love they had once   
shared and the miracle they had made.  
  
The baby was another topic of discussion he avoided like the plague.   
She wondered how he really felt about the baby. He had seemed   
excited by the idea when they talked about it becoming a real   
possibility all those months ago. Now she wasn't so sure. Did he   
want to be a part of this child's life or should she plan on it being   
a single parent household?   
  
After two days, she has had enough of the silence and decides to go   
over to his place and make him talk, she can't go on like this. Good   
or bad, she needs to know what is going to happen now. She puts on a   
coat, grabs her keys and opens the door.   
  
He's there -- with hand in the air poised to knock.   
  
Without thinking, she pulls him into her apartment before he can   
change his mind.   
  
They stand there staring at each other, one silently urging the other   
to speak. She takes a good look at him. He has dark circles under   
his eyes, like he hasn't slept in days, and he is wearing the same   
clothes she last saw him in.   
  
She takes his hand and gives it a squeeze and smiles. Not a big   
bright smile, but a small one, promising a long overdue conversation.   
  
He closes his eyes in relief.   
  
He understands.  
  
This is going to be a very important discussion, one that will   
possibly change her future for the better or worse. But he needs to   
get some sleep first. She needs him to think with a clear mind.   
  
It doesn't take much to convince him, just a promise that she will   
sleep as well. She assures him she will, but he falls asleep as soon   
as his head hits the pillow and she can't take her eyes off him.  
  
She sits in the shadows.   
  
Hoping and praying for light.   
  
  
~end~  
  
  
Feedback adored at crmv@aol.com  
  



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